Wonderful views of one of Italy’s most impressive castles
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| The Hotel Annunziata is directly opposite Ferrara's star attraction, the magnificent Castello Estense |
There are lovely views of the castle from the windows of many of the
hotel’s guest rooms.
The four-star Hotel Annunziata is set in a restored, historic town house
with a contemporary décor. All the accommodation is immaculate and spotlessly
clean, earning the praise of many of its guests.
Breakfast is served in the hotel’s elegant dining room and there is a bar
serving drinks and snacks 24 hours a day. All the guest rooms have free wifi, satellite TV and air conditioning.
Although the Hotel Annunziata is located in a pedestrian only area of
the city, there is a car park for the use of guests.
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| The Hotel Annunziata occupies an historic restored townhouse in Piazza Repubblica |
The Hotel Annunziata is located at Piazza Repubblica, 5 in the centre of
the city.
Editor’s note: ‘Right in the heart of the historic city of Ferrara, I
enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Annunziata in a very comfortable guest room with
wonderful views of one of the most impressive and beautiful castles in Italy.’
Click here for more information, to check prices and to book a room at
the Hotel Annunziata.
What to see in Ferrara
Ferrara was ruled by the Este family between 1240 and 1598. You can
still see the original, narrow, medieval streets to the west and south of the
city centre, between the main thoroughfares of Via Ripa Grande and Via
Garibaldi, which were the core of the city in the middle ages.
Building work on the magnificent, moated Este Castle (Castello Estense)
began in 1385 and it was added to and improved by successive rulers of Ferrara
until the end of the Este line.
Lucrezia Borgia lived in the castle after her marriage to Alfonso I
d’Este in 1502 and was reputed to have had an affair with the court poet,
Pietro Bembo, there.
The castle was purchased for 70,000 lire by the province of Ferrara in
1874 to be used as the headquarters of the Prefecture.
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| The Palazzo Diamanti is another Este palace in Ferrara, its walls studded with diamond-shaped stones |
Another Este residence in Ferrara that is worth seeing is the Palazzo
Diamanti in Corso Ercole I d’Este, which takes its name from the 8500 pointed,
diamond-shaped stones that stud the façade, diamonds being an emblem of the
Este family. It was designed by Biagio Rossetti and completed in 1503.
The
palace now houses the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Ferrara on its first floor, where
you can also see the 16th century apartments inhabited by another Este bride,
Virginia de’ Medici. She lived in the palace after her marriage to Cesare
d’Este, the grandson of Alfonso I, Duke of Ferrara. Visitors can see three of
the rooms that Virginia used, which overlook Corso Biagio Rossetti. The
Pinacoteca is open from 10.00 to 17.30 Tuesday to Sunday.
Eating out in Ferrara
A good place to try some Ferrarese specialities is Trattoria il Cucco in
Via Voltacasotto, where they serve the traditional cappellacci con la zucca, a
type of ravioli stuffed with pumpkin, sage, butter and cheese. You could follow
that with salama da sugo, which is said to have been Lucrezia Borgia’s
favourite dish. It is a spicy pork sausage made from different cuts of meat
that has been boiled for about four hours.
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